Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Dysgraphia

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MON,
This is a great example of how placement must follow the program offered. If there was a lot of writing in the reading group, (and there were tons or worksheets in my son's 2nd grade reading group) then it makes sense to 'split the difference' between strenth and challenge. But if there is no focus on written expression in the reading group, then simple state that you feel the top group would be the best match. Asynchronous Develoment is really frustrating! For the kid, for the teachers AND for the parents!


Good for your school that they are offering the 1:1 help, but it seems mean that the teacher won't allow the use of the dotted paper. Does the Principle support this? To me it sounds like you need a seperate meeting to discuss DS. Why not 'firmly state' that the teacher must use whatever kind of accomidations the special ed staff suggests - such as dotted paper.

This isn't a small thing. A child who is not talking and has barriers to writing isn't likely to have great self esteem in a classroom setting. Remember that in elementary school it's all about the skills. Can you write? Can you memorize the spelling list? Can you do those times tables fast? The deep and intersting discussion doesn't count for much in the minds of children and el teachers, for the most part.

Afterschool the chapter book for fun, but don't expect it to mean much to the school. Show writing samples with and without the special paper to the school. Request a teacher who is willing to met your son half way.

Good luck, and good luck with dd6, too!
Grinity

In my experience with special needs, you would place a child according to ability and accommodate for the disability. This is called Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) under IDEA. Children do not need to be failing or below grade level in order to receive services under IDEA. If your son struggles with the mechanics of writing due to a disability such as dysgraphia then he should be eligible for support services to accommodate the disability and allow him to achieve at his maximum potential. Children who struggle with the mechanics of writing often then have difficulty generating the content of written work. Too much effort is on the mechanics, no cognitive energy left for the thought process. Advocate for the lined paper and whatever other accommodations the special ed staff have suggested.

My son says we keep hearing this same story over and over and he says it is as simple as 2 plus 2 is 4, yet some teachers just don't get it. He says your son needs to do academics at his level and be allowed to do writing at his level, with help for the writing disability and if the school won't allow this, then you will need to homeschool or afterschool. He says if parents of twice exceptional children want their children to be successful then they should fight the school for an appropriate education. He says holding a child back to the level of disability makes no sense. He said it doesn't make any more sense than placing a strong, physically gifted 6th grader in 9th grade based only on his level of motor skills. You have to teach to all of his abilities, not just the academic and not just the physical. He said when he was in Kindergarten it seemed like they expected everyone to be at the same level and he knew that he wasn't like the other kids. He would have loved to participate in a group discussion over thought provoking books with the older kids he felt more comfortable with, but that is not allowed here, so he does community musical theatre with older, gifted kids who are his best friends.

My son does not have selective mutism, but I think I did as a child. I know that I learned so much more when I felt accepted by the teacher both for my above grade level ability in reading and my extreme shyness. Their acknowledgment of my difference in reading ability gave me a boost in self confidence and I did well. I can't imagine what it would have been like if they had tried to hold me back for something like handwriting issues that I didn't have, but my son does.

I think your plan for the summer is good. I have my son practice some handwriting even in the summer, but all he will do in his own handwriting is copy work or writing spelling words. For difficult spelling words though, I noticed that he would say the word out loud first and then write. I have never been able to get him to write about anything on his own when he is using his own handwriting because it does seem to take up so much physical and mental energy just to write and he still needs lines to write legibly. He has to type to get his thoughts on paper.

My suggestions are to get a diagnosis, an OT evaluation, and push for a 504 plan. If your insurance will pay for it (or if you are independently wealthy), OT is a big help.

My ds also has difficulty writing. He is also finishing 2nd grade. In K and 1st, his handwriting was poor but legible. He tended to write simplistically, but that's was okay for those grades. In 2nd, they went to paper with smaller lines or no lines, and his handwriting became worse. Also, it began to affect his writing grade (not failing because our sd doesn't give grades for the lower grades, but "having difficulty meeting grade-level expectations," the equivalent of a D). His pediatrician diagnosed him as having a "graphomotor impairment."

Now we have 2 key pieces in place, a diagnosis and bad grades. Those two together allow ds to qualify for a 504 plan, which gives him accomodations, including lined paper. And it's not just a suggestion to his teacher: legally, they have to give him lined paper.

My ds does not qualify for an IEP (under IDEA) because there is not a discrepancy in his IQ and his performance on achievement tests. There are subtests on the achievement tests that might indicate a problem, but other subtests bring up his scores.

My plan this summer is to work on cursive, continue see the Occupational Therapist (okay, we're not rich, but if we pay in advance, we pay $85 an hour (rather than $160), and my younger child starts K this year which reduces our daycare costs), and work on his typing speed. One way I get him to write is to write letters to places asking for information (a map of Sea World, a brochure about Kansas, info on a state park, etc). That way he gets stuff for his efforts.

We are having the same issue with my son who is now in 3rd grade. Verbally and visually/spatially he's off the charts, but he's been diagnosed with dysgraphia and adhd.

I fought hard for it, since he's in a private school, but we're opting to go for putting him at his level of ability and making accommodations for his disabilities. We have purchased a laptop and he uses it for most of his assignments. Assignments that can't be done on the computer are either scribed (he dictates and someone writes for him) or if it's an actual WRITING assignment, then he writes. He's been learning cursive which has been easier for him, but he still struggles.